Facial swelling

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Edema, central on the face

Overview

Treatment

Facial swelling

Alternative Names:

Puffy face; Swelling of the face; Moon face; Facial edema

Home Care:

Apply cold compresses to reduce swelling from an injury. Raise the head of the bed (or use extra pillows) to help reduce facial swelling.

Call your health care provider if:

There is acute, sudden, painful, or severe facial swelling.
There is prolonged facial swelling, particularly if it is getting worse over time.
There is any difficulty breathing.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

If facial swelling is caused by burns, or respiratory distress is present, emergency measures must be taken first. Then the medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting facial swelling in detail may include the following:

How long has the facial swelling lasted?
When did it begin?
What makes it worse?
What makes it better?
What is your height and weight?
How is your diet?
Has there been exposure to something to which the person may be allergic (an antigen)?
What medication are you taking?
Have you had recent facial injury?
Have you had a recent test or surgical procedure?
What other symptoms are also present? Especially, is there:
- Facial pain
- Sneezing
- Difficulty breathing
- Hives or rash
- Eye redness
- Fever

Diagnostic tests will be determined by other accompanying symptoms and results of the physical examination.

Review Date: 1/24/2005
Reviewed By: Thomas A. Owens, M.D., Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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